According to Russian mercenary group Wagner founder Evgeny Prigozhin, Russian forces have virtually surrounded the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut (Russian: Artyomovsk): in a video speech he called on Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky to evacuate the elderly and children.
The Russian media report it.
According to Ria Novosti, he called on the Ukrainian authorities to give the Ukrainian armed forces the opportunity to leave the city.
A bloody battle has been raging in Bakhmut for weeks, waged practically house to house.
Ukraine, Zelensky visits wounded soldiers in Bakhmut
Russian forces are advancing on Bakhmut, but not at the pace they would like, according to the secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, in an interview with the country's media.
"They are all there, but they can't do anything for a long time," the senior official said, referring to Prigozhin's Wagner Group, the Russian military and airborne troops. "Yes, they are advancing, but not at the pace that they would like".
A Ukrainian drone reconnaissance unit based in Bakhmut has been ordered to leave the besieged eastern city, its commander said in a video posted on Telegram on Friday cited by CNN.
“In the middle of the night, the Madiar Birds unit received a combat order to immediately leave Bakhmut for a new place of operations,” Commander Robert Brovdi said.
Ukraine, Prigozhin, ' Military Wagner are in the center of Bakhmut'.
Ukrainian forces allegedly blew up a railway bridge inside the eastern city of Bakhmut under siege by the Russian army and the Wagner Group.
The Guardian reports it.
The video of the explosion, posted on social media and geolocated by CNN, was shared today along with unconfirmed reports that it would be a sign that Ukraine is preparing to withdraw from the city.
However the 46th Ukrainian Brigade fighting in the city denied the reports, stating that the bridge was already unusable: "The bridge which is now being shown as proof that we are leaving was blown up a long time ago. Who is in Bakhmut you know. Now there was only one control coup. Don't spread panic. And yes, you can cross the river there without a bridge,"
The US and NATO continue their "geopolitical plans to annihilate Russia" by supplying arms to Ukraine, training its armed forces and "helping Kiev identify bombing targets".
This was stated in a statement by the Moscow Foreign Ministry.